1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information-bearing-card receiver, including an insertion slot made between two lips, with a bearing lip, means for bending the card which are arranged, in the direction of insertion of the card, beyond this bearing lip, means for guiding the front edge of the said card in order to bring the card into the read position and means for receiving, in the read position, the front edge of the card, which include a limit-stop wall constructed so as to be moved in the direction of insertion of the card under the action of a thrust by the card and against the action of first return means, and also relates to a card reader using such a receiver.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Such card receivers, which may be associated with a device for reading the information carried by the said card, are already known.
Thus, card-payment public telephone sets include a slot, where a chip card is inserted, which remains partially accessible to the user. This slot is fitted at the back of a cavity located at the front face of the set, and a flap has to be brought down in front of this cavity in order to authorise the telephonic communication.
The purpose of such an arrangement is to avoid, in so far as possible, the card breaking flush with the slot, which prevents it from being extracted and takes the telephone set out of service.
However, this is not totally effective and, in particular, offers no protection from willful acts of vandalism.
Moreover, the reading of the card is provided by a read device, a read interface of which includes a sensor, such as an optical, magnetic or electrical sensor with engagment of contacts on the card.
Now, this card may no occupy precisely the desired position if its user presses on it strongly, which will create a read error. This is remedied by imposing the said closure to the flap, however this is an annoying constraint which requires, in addition, an alarm such as an audible alarm in order to prevent the card from being forgotten.
DE-A-3 602 668 teaches a card-receiver of the above-mentioned type, in which the card drags a sliding carriage which can be shifted up to a locked read-position and, by a further forward movement of the card which unlocks it, the carriage is brought back to a rest position near the bearing lip, under the action of a return spring.
The carriage executes the guidance together with the bending of the card towards the direction opposite to the bearing lip, for applying the card on a connector arranged above its read position.
The card is, however, caught with friction by the carriage and it cannot be extracted of it when it is broken flush with the slot.
EP-A-348 929 and EP-A-351 103 include the same teaching as DE-A-3 602 668 et, specifically, also teach grasping the card, which hinders the ejection of a broken card.